St. Mary’s Home for Children’s Outpatient Department,
The Shepherd Program, has been providing sexual abuse specific treatment
to children, teens, adults, and their families, since 1985. The Shepherd
Program employs clinicians with expertise in sexual abuse assessment
and treatment, and our case managers are highly skilled and trained
in supporting the population we serve. Most of our clinicians are
recognized as Qualified Practitioners - Sexual Abuse Treatment Specialists
through the State of RI’s Department of Children, Youth and Families.
While the Shepherd Program offers this expertise in the area of sexual
abuse and trauma treatment, clinicians also offer therapy to children,
adolescents and adults for concerns including but not limited to depression,
anxiety, grief/loss and adjustment.

St. Mary’s Home for Children is well known across
the state for our work with children and families affected by sexual
abuse, but did you know that we also provide outpatient services for
adults as well? Especially adult, trauma survivors? Many parents and
caregivers are often survivors of trauma themselves and they can often
be triggered when their own child discloses any type of trauma experience.
Aside from individual office based therapy for adults, we also offer
group
therapy for adult trauma survivors. This includes treatment for
those affected by domestic violence, physical abuse, emotional abuse,
sexual abuse or other types of trauma.

We are currently accepting referrals for our
Hope for Healing Group which is a clinical support group for adult
female trauma survivors. The group meets every Tuesday from 10:30
am-12:00 pm. Anyone can make a referral to The Shepherd Program by
contacting the Shepherd Program Intake Coordinator at intake@smhfc.org
or (401) 353-3900 ext. 416.

Philosophy of
Service

We are a collaborative mental health and trauma
team that believes all people regardless of socioeconomic status,
race, or sexual orientation deserve specialized treatment of the highest
quality. We provide state-of-the-art, client-centered, strengths-based
and trama informed interventions that help our clients heal from the
circumstances that brought them to us.

The Shepherd Program provides the following services:
sexual abuse evaluations, individual, group and family therapy, training
and consultation.

Child & Family Trauma Treatment (CFTT) Program:
Through funds from the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), the Shepherd Program's
Child & Family Trauma Treatment Program provides a clinician and a
parent educator team approach to families that have been impacted
by sexual abuse. The CFTT Team provides intensive in-home services
for families, for 6 months. The team's guidance, instruction, and
support assist in maintaining the child survivor safely in the home.
Services include: Individual, sexual abuse specific treatment and
family therapy; Case management; Court support/advocacy; Assistance
with filing Victims' Compensation claims; Behavior management; and
Sexual abuse education.

Enhanced Outpatient Services (EOS): EOS is
a home/community-based program that provides comprehensive services
to help transition a child from placement to a secure home environment,
or as a preventative measure, to reduce the risk of hospitalization
for children/teens/adults. Our team consist of a licensed clinician
and a case manager who provide home, school and/or community based
services for children/teens/adults who require intensive support for
successful functioning in the community. Services are offered 7 days
a week to meet the clinical needs of the family. Our staff directly
arrange for authorization through the families' health coverage (NHP/UBH
RItecare). Services include: Individual and family therapy; Case management;
Behavior management; and Parenting support and education.

Supporting Teens and Adults at Risk (STAAR) Project:
Funded by the Victims of Crime Act, the STAAR Project serves male
and female survivors of sexual exploitation and human trafficking,
up to age 25, and their families. This is a state-wide community/home
based program. The overriding goal of the STAAR Project is to keep
children safe in their homes and communities and reduce the risk of
re-victimization. The STAAR treatment team provide therapeutic, educational
and social support to the survivor, psycho-education and clinical
support to the parent and work within a team model based on a multidisciplinary
approach. Treatment is provided on a schedule that meets the family's
needs and will continue for up to 6 months. Services include: Individual,
family and group therapy; Crisis Intervention; Case Management; Parenting
Support; and Sexual exploitation/abuse education.

Outpatient Support Program (OSP): OSP is
a home/community based case management program available to Neighborhood
Health Plan/RIte Care members. The goal of OSP is for the client to
remain in the community and avoiding a higher level of care. Services
provided may include assistance with obtaining transportation to outpatient
mental health appointments, collaboration with service providers,
ensuring clear and consistent communication with primary care physician,
assistance with meeting basic needs through case management, providing
education to client regarding their mental health diagnoses and prescribed
medications, collaborate with providers to support regular use of
the skills learned in therapy, and to address barriers to treatment.

Supporting Adoptive and Foster Families Everywhere Program (SAFFE): The SAFFE Program is an intensive, community based program aimed at preserving foster and adoptive placements for children/teens, statewide, up to age 18, that have either disclosed sexual abuse or are exhibiting symptoms of sexual abuse, such as sexualized behaviors. The SAFFE Program provides clinical treatment to the child, the caretaker, and the biological parents if warranted. Through a trauma informed approach, families receive psychoeducation and support to assist with stabilizing the child’s placement to avoid disruption. The SAFFE Clinical Team includes a clinician and case manager to provide intensive, home based services for 6-8 months, 6-8 hours/week for the child, and 4-6 hours/week for the caretakers. Some aspects of the SAFFE Program include: Trauma informed intervention/treatment; Clinical support groups; Non-Offending Parent Education and Support; Case management to include resource development and increasing support systems; Transportation assistance; Access to 24/7 on call support; and coordination of bimonthly Provider Team meetings including case specific, collaborative partners. (This is a DCYF Contract and referrals come through the DCYF Central Referral unit.)

**We are currently looking to expand our Community
Based Teams. Please visit the Employment
section for more information.

Clinical Groups

Shepherd Clinicians
utilize treatment interventions based on clinical practice guidelines
and evidence of service effectiveness in the mental health field.
Clinical support groups are consistently a beneficial intervention
for the clients and families we serve. We consistently offer clinical
support groups for survivors of sexual abuse (child, teen and adults)
and their parents and caregivers. We also offer groups focusing on
healthy self-esteem, socialization and healing from trauma. Please
see our 2016-2017 Group Schedule here.

Many of our clinicians are trained to provide the
Justice Resource Institute’s My
Life My Choice (MLMC) group curriculum. This 10 session group
is designed to empower youth to protect themselves from the commercial
sex industry and its perpetrators; explore what makes a healthy relationship;
improve self-esteem; and provide positive interaction with peers,
medical professionals, law enforcement officers, and survivors. This
group is geared for teenage girls ages 12-18 years old and is beneficial
for all teenage girls, as all teenage girls are at risk for exploitation.
Clients do not need to have a sexual abuse history to benefit from
this group.

We have been providing our Non-Offending Parenting Education and
Support Group (NOP) curriculum to parents and caregivers for over
20 years. We have recently revised and updated our curriculum to include
the most recent research and best practices, along with new topics
(such as the commercial sexual exploitation of children). The name
of this service has been changed from “NOP” to Families Impacted
by Sexual Abuse (FISA). Please note that the same information
presented in NOP will be included, in addition to the new and updated
information. If you would like to make a referral for the FISA
Group, please either contact the Shepherd Program Intake Coordinator
at ext. 416, or complete the FISA Group referral form here.

A few years ago we began offering Equine Assisted
Psychotherapy (EAP) using the EAGALA model to our EOS clients. This
program is offered in collaboration with Equine Empowerment Solutions.
"The EAGALA model is an experiential based approach that focus on
solution-oriented opportunities. The EAGALA method is based on the
fundamental belief that our clients have their own answers to their
issues, they just need a safe environment to challenge their beliefs
about themselves. Accepting and acknowledging those challenges is
the first step in personal growth and learning. It is also where true
empowerment is born."

For more information about the EAGALA model please
visit www.eagala.org

We recently implemented a pilot program offering
EAP to several of our current office based clients. This program was
grant funded and provided an opportunity for many of our clients to
receive a specialized service, which may not normally be covered by
insurance. We plan to offer this service to office based clients again
in the future. Please re-visit our website in January 2017 for more
information!

COMING SOON! Families Impacted by Sexual Abuse (FISA) Curriculum

The Shepherd Program announces plans to release
a newly revisedEducation and Support Manual for Families
Impacted by Sexual Abuse. This manual outlines the rationale,
key concepts and procedure for individual/group sessions to support
and educate Families Impacted by Sexual Abuse (formerly known as Non-Offending
Parent Education and Support). Some topics covered in this manual
include Signs and symptoms of sexual abuse; Impact of trauma on brain
function/development; Parenting strategies; Prevention/Safety Planning;
Red flags of sex trafficking; and Treatment needs of youth with sexual
behavior problems. Please continue to check our website for more information
or contact our Program Director, Melissa Santoro at msantoro@smhfc.org.

Testimonials

The following comments were
written by clients of the Shepherd Program:

"St. Mary's has supported my
commitment to my children. The staff has made
tremendous efforts not only to help my family
cope with the effects of abuse, but to help us
move forward and discontinue the cycle." -
Parent

"Before I felt nervous. Now
I feel happy. So don't worry, be happy. You'll
love this place" - Child

"I trusted them in a way
that allowed me to discuss private matters." -
Parent

"Everyone has been very
supportive and friendly." - Family

"She (therapist) was a great
influence and a great help to me. I will never
forget what she has done for me and my family."
- Parent

"I was treated with respect
and like an adult." - Adult Client

"My son has learned how to
deal with changes and emotions and has become
more open about what's bothering him." - Parent